Useful Searches

Welcome to PlowSite. Notice a fresh look and new features? It’s now easier to share photos and videos, find popular topics fast, and enjoy expanded user profiles. If you have any questions, click HELP at the top or bottom of any page, or send an email to help@plowsite.com. We welcome your feedback.

5.4L 2007 spark plug / head

I was looking at a f350 with a 5.4L engine. I'm not big into fords so, not much experience. In dooing a google search I cam across a ton of issues with the 5.4L engine 'spitting' out spark plugs - litteraly the plug will shoot from the head due to lack of enough threads.

So, does anyone know if this problem has been fixed in these engine? or any other issues to watch out for?

Yes they are still a problem.And the more miles the plugs are in, the worse of an issue they can be to remove and replace at tune up time. There's about 8 different "thread repair" kits in the aftermarket just for repairing the plug threads on the Ford Triton V-8's and V-10's.Ford has known about the problen for years and still hasen't improved the design yet.The heads are very thin near the spark plug hole so there's only THREE PLUG THREAD'S in the hole.Not nearly enough in my opinion.

its because of the aluminum heads, the plugs arent made out of aluminum, so the thermal differences cause the head and plugs to expand and then contract at different rates, until, after a few thousand miles, + or - depending on how much the truck heats and cools....the plug will back itself out and after awhile the compression will spit the plug out and destroy the last few threads...i have a friend at a ford dealer who sees them come in lots, usually the guys pulling landscape trailers....beating them hard then shutting them off right away...i saw pics of a truck that spit a plug and put a nice dent in the hood

they say after appx 70 000 miles to replace the plugs, i did mine at about 80k and 4 of them were hand tight....kinda scary id say...

theyre easy to do, just dont mix up your coil packs they say....and i think you need to lift the fuel rail up out of the way, and while youre doing that clean the injector filters and install new o rings on the injector tops...lube the o rings with some wd40 when putting them back in

Here is what I just got back from a local Ford dealer.... ( The first response was to the plugs the second was to the 4x4 not engaging when the hubs got dirty or wet ) I can't believe you can't change you own plugs.......

".....
I am not a real gear head , but will try to answer your concerns .
Heads were redesigned in late 2002 . If you took your truck to a Ford Dealer and had your spark plugs changed they were aware that the engine had to be cold when removing and then replacing the plugs . There are strict guidelines in replacing the plugs and the amount of torque applied to the plug when installing in the Cold Head . Most people shop around for a tune-up thinking any shop can do it and look for the cheapest price . So afterwards when the plugs were replaced and not to Factory Spec's the spark plugs would later blow out the Head and the consumer would then bring it to a dealer and want the manufacturer to pay for the damage . So I can only say that most servicing should be done only by a dealer were they are aware of the correct spec's inherent to that vehicle . I have first hand knowledge of this , because it happen to a good customer of mine .

In 2006 the front axle / hubs and seals were completely redesign and that minor issue was addressed ......"

I had a 2001 F-150 with the 5.4 Triton "Plug Spitter". After the first two factory plugs went at 48 and 54K respectively, I learned to listen for the "tick, tick, tick" that sounds just like a bad lifter before a plug blows. The sound is actually a compression leak from around the loosening plug base. Requires a helicoil type repair. A royal pain in the arse.

Fortunately, like Scott said, Ford redesigned the Triton heads in 2002-2003. If you want to research further go to ford-trucks dot com. As you can imagine, there is a lot of discussion on this topic.

I work at a ford dealership and I've seen my share of spark plugs blown out but most of them where the earlier trucks (97-99) and a couple 00-01's that were suffering from lack of proper care. I have not seen any of the new 3 valve motors in any vehicle, mustangs or trucks, spit a spark plug and I don't think they will cause now the threads are a lot lot longer then they used to be.

I have a 99 superduty with a 140,000 on it and just changed the plugs and I don't see how the plugs can come out with the coil packs on top of every plug unless it brakes the coil packs and shoots them out also.

Had a 99 F-350 4x4 dualy reg cab v10, spit out #9, blew ignition coil off of manifold and ruined coil. I used a spark plug thread repair kit from KD tools , the first step was to use there 3/8 drive combination reamer /tap on the damaged plug hole, next use the supplied special tool to install the insert. The insert was not a helicoile, but instead a thin bushing with threads in the id. and on the od. and an outward flare or shoulder on top that would bottom against the top edge of plug hole. I put a liberal amount of loctite 271 on outer threads and simply screwed it in the reamed and tapped hole until it was snug. I then fired the engine up before installing #9 plug to blow out as many chips as I could, installed the plug and new coil, cleared out the computer and drove it for another 35k. Truck had 93k when it spit out plug, it lightly ticked from the day I bought it new and drove it off lot. Dealer said noise was normal and of no concern, BS. changed plugs at 60k, noise stayed the same, after installing insert, noise was gone